


Changing of the Seasons

by DevilOfWire



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alien Biology, Allergies, Established Relationship, Flash Fic, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, One Shot, Short, Spring, Swearing, just a little bit, maybe spoilers for etf but why havent you watched the movie yet lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23889130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevilOfWire/pseuds/DevilOfWire
Summary: One fine, warm late April day, Zim and Dib are just lazing around the house, doing nothing of value.Then Dib sneezes. Oh boy.
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 107
Collections: The Abyss's April 2020 Flash Fiction Compendium





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy, if you’re subscribed to me or whatever, I’m really sorry for not posting anything for like 2 months now D: I’ve been busy trying to write a little book and do life stuff and whatnot, but considering I wrote this in a few hours, I hope I’ll be able to do more fanfics soon! ^^ 
> 
> If you don’t care about me that’s also cool, here’s a 1,000 word flash fic for the server I’m a part of! The theme was “spring”, whew!

Zim’s house is especially hot this spring day.

And not just hot as in it’s above freezing, which the Irken likes to keep it at. As in, it’s actually fucking hot. Which means Zim finds it insufferable, as he sprawls across the couch like he’s dying. Just a mess of green and red and black, melting into the furniture.

“Close… the… window… let me turn on… Computer’s air… conditioning…”

Dib shakes his head, letting the breeze run through his hair. “This is the first day of the year it isn’t snowing, Zim. I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Then go… outside,” he groans. “Why must you bring the warmth in here… when there is plenty of it out there?”

“Because.”

“Oh, sure, ‘because’… So just kill your Irken ma–er, friend.”

“Aw, were you gonna say ‘mate’? That’s so cute!” Dib teases the alien who immediately covers his face. “Years of dating and you finally almost admit we’re together!”

“Shut up! Irk, what I would not do for you to just die! Maybe then I would be a Tallest!”

Dib laughs, “Yeah, fucking right. Wish for my death all you want, Zim, I’m gonna stay as healthy as ever, especially with all this fresh air–”

Dib’s rambling suddenly cuts off with a gasp, making Zim rip his claws away from his eyes fast enough to almost fall off the couch.

And then all that aspiration culminates into one single action:

A sneeze to challenge Zeus’ thunder.

Zim’s shrieking near the end of it is even louder than the sneeze itself, though.

Dib catches his breath, looking to see Zim huddled in the corner, hands in front of him and ruby eyes wide with fear. How a younger version of himself would love this sight. But Dib loves it for an entirely different reason now.

Because now, he just laughs.

_Really fucking hard._

“It’s just a sneeze, Zim!” Dib wheezes over those grating guffaws, Zim slowly peeling himself out of the cushions. “God, you would think you just saw a monster! Hahaha–”

Another sneeze interrupts him, but this time it catches him even more off-guard. Sending Dib into a coughing fit after he chokes on his own saliva, like the pathetic earthworm he is. Zim rises up on his knees to point and cackle.

And then the alien stops right as Dib recovers.

Because, oh Irk.

He scurries to the other side of the house, all the way to the front door.

“Wha-what?” Dib croaks.

“Stay away from me, filthy disease-riddled pest!”

Dib looks offended at the (un)usual comment, then takes his hand to his forehead. He purses his lips, swallows. Finding nothing off other than the sneeze.

“Huh…” he ponders aloud, “well, I’m not sick, so…”

“You lie! A filthy, filthy liar!”

Dib leans back in thought, blinking to find tears upsetting his eyes.

“Oh, are you crying? Oh Irk, are you dying?!”

He sounds almost concerned, which is more than enough for Dib to squint one eye to look at him.

And then, “You better not, because then you might spread it and make me die!”

Well, there goes that second of possible empathy, Dib rolls his eyes. At least, he tries to, for the tears make it pretty hard to do, well, anything. He gets up, takes off his glasses and gets a tissue from the kitchen, wiping his tears. And then sneezes into it, much to Zim’s horror.

“Ah,” Dib murmurs, “I think I know what it is.”

“What is it?! The black plague? Measles? Something even astronomically worse?!”

“No,” Dib sighs, “I almost wish, honestly. I mean, not really. But at least a cold would be over and done with after a week.”

“There’s a permanent illness you humans can get?!”

“Yes,” Dib says, closing the window, “it’s called allergies. And I guess I’m getting them now that I’m a fully-fledged adult.”

“Oh…” Zim hums, the tapping of his boots across the floor, “that isn’t contagious, right?”

“Nope. Just dumb.”

“I thought you either had those or you didn’t, though. Like with peanuts or milk or whatever stupid thing your inferior bodies randomly reject.”

“Nah. I mean, it can be like that, but it can change overtime. Decrease or increase. And it looks like I am developing some seasonal allergies related to pollen or whatever…”

“Well, if it is truly not contagious…”

Dib jumps a little at the hand on his back, turning slow as though not to scatter the illusion.

But, surely enough, there’s Zim.

A little shorter than Dib but not by much—something about destroying the mothership must have enabled growth again—leaning up to him with a hand clasped over his shoulder, odd for the sheer rarity of it.

“Huh–”

And then Dib’s cut off by cool lips upon his own. Just a single second, they’re there and then gone, but it was undeniable that it just happened.

“You… you actually kissed me?” Dib asks, utter disbelief, dawning amazement in a silly grin. “Oh my God! If I’d known all it would’ve taken for you to kiss me was to act sad, I would’ve done that years ago!”

Dib stops rambling to look at Zim. And judging by the balling of his fists, he was about to throw the biggest tantrum of the entire week. So Dib mentally prepares himself for the oncoming onslaught of grammatically incorrect insults–

But instead, all that fury culminates into one single action:

The cutest sneeze Dib’s ever heard.

But then Zim’s shrieking near the end of it ruins it, running to the trash can to go ask the Computer what exactly was going to kill him now. And probably to turn the AC back on. Because now it was getting insufferably hot for even the human.

Oh well, Dib thinks, lying down on the couch again. At least he _did_ succeed in getting a kiss, without even having to bribe Zim with candy! Today, he decided, was a good day.

… And then he sneezes again.

Welp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * * *
> 
> _Check me out for updates and art and stuff! <3 _
> 
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>   * _[Twitter](https://twitter.com/DevilOfWire)  
>  _
> 
>   * _[Tumblr](https://devilofwire.tumblr.com/)  
>  _
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> 
> __
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> * * *
> 
> That was fun! Especially the part where I really struggled to make this fit the word requirement lol. Some people can write 100 word drabbles no problem, but me? Well...... 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make another chapter for this for next month’s flash fic for some reason! So here you go ^^ 
> 
> I am a couple days late, but what do you expect at this point… No lol, I’ve just been lazyyyy, but it’s done now, so whatever! Enjoy!

“Zim is dying!”

“Shut up.”

“I’m _dying!"_ he whines, sprawling himself out on an autopsy table against the wall.

Dib shakes his head, slamming his fists against the computer’s keyboard. “It just doesn’t make any sense, Zim! Sneezing, itching, hives, that all makes sense, but a stomach ache? Cramping? Fucking fever _and_ a cold?!”

He gets up from the chair so fast it remains spinning behind him, staring the alien down from across the room, pointing.

“You’re making it up!”

“What?!” Zim rises up on his elbows. Then he blinks. And then he becomes enraged. “You dare accuse the great Zim of lying?! Such a vile Earthling thing to do! Why would an Irken ever lie when they can simply conquer, as they were made to do?!”

“Because you suck, Zim.”

A sharp gasp, but he doesn’t even hesitate, “You suck, so you have to lie. You never could have conquered Earth.”

“N–”

“Because you never really wanted to, Zim. You and I have both always known it, deep down. So you know what I think you really wanted to do, all along?”

“Wh… what?”

Dib laughs, long and low like one of those characters in those awful animated shows Dib forces him to watch sometimes. The patter of his boots compliment the creepy sound, much to Zim’s horror, as he can only squeeze back into the wall.

Then, finally, he reaches him. Predator turned prey, as the Irken invader stares up to the creature made even taller as he leans over the autopsy table.

“I think you just did it so you could get my attention.”

Eyes wide. “That, that is not true!” Zim shrieks. “Zim would never! I _am_ sick! It is the truth! W-why would I ever vie for the affection of a disgusting stink monster on this poisonous ball in the middle of nowhere?! Disgusting!”

Dib presses on, walking to the side of the table.

He takes Zim’s chin in his hand, forcing him to meet his gaze. Expression soft.

“You know that isn’t true. It’s okay, Zim. We’ve been dating for years now, we’ve done all sorts of things, gone all sorts of places. Together. So why don’t you just admit that you like me? That you’ve always liked me, even in a weird sort of way at first?” he laughs.

Zim blinks, first at Dib’s face. Then at the pale fingers around his chin.

“That’s… not true… Irkens don’t… c-can’t…”

Dib laughs, leaning forward toward his face with his own. “You’re so stubborn, it’s hilarious.”

And then Dib angles all the way forward, his lips coming onto Zim’s. As expected, as has happened thousands of times before.

Except that isn’t actually what happens this time.

Because Zim does it.

And he might have done the exact same thing a few weeks ago, when their allergies _(“allergies”)_ were only just beginning, but it still shocks Dib.

Shocks him still, as he’s sure would have happened the first time if Zim had stayed for more than a second.

But this time it is more than a second. It’s a few seconds. And then even longer.

The seconds pass on, both still as the surrounding room. They’d kissed plenty of times before, all the way from the first one on pure impulse from a bored Dib that had made Zim shriek loud enough to wake the entire city, probably.

They’d gotten used to it since then. But this one seemed way different. And it makes sense, because it is Zim who initiated it, after all. And somehow that made it seem like an entirely different thing.

Like the first time all over again, complete with all the butterflies and fear.

But eventually it becomes normal again, as there’s finally some sign of life from Dib, tilting his head to the side and down to meet him better as Zim still reclines.

Instead of recoiling as he rightfully should, Zim’s lekku peel back against his skull and twitch as Dib dares a peek. A little clicking sound barely audible over the buzz of electronics. All signs pointing to happiness.

This shouldn’t make him happy. It really shouldn’t. There was no point in romance to a race that had automated their reproduction like cars on an assembly line.

But it makes Zim happy anyway.

And when the Irken finally takes his fists clawing into Dib’s shirt and pushes him away, he smiles.

“You’re right,” he grins, nodding. The most pleasant Dib had ever seen him in his entire life.

“You do love me?” Dib smiles right back.

Zim opens his mouth, crimson eyes twinkling with purple lights.

And then he laughs.

“I meant that Zim is a liar! Muahahahah, I made it all up just so you would have to take care of me; your misery amuses me greatly!”

Dib stands up. Sighs as he walks away.

“Wait!”

Small green claws tug him back to his side.

“And… you were right.”

Dib smiles again.

“I do… l-lo…” he can’t help but stick his tongue out, like the mere word is tainted water.

“Love… you…”

Dib is so overcome with joy, he raises his arms into the air, inspiring a bodyful of air to let out a shout of pure victory.

After all these years of fighting, and then talking, and then dating, he’d finally _won!_ Finally!

But then he sneezes really loud instead.

Zim instead pumps his fists, yelling, “Yes! Superior Irken biology triumphs once more! Your human immune system is no match for my PAK–”

And then Zim sneezes again.

But Dib would know that wide-eyed look of feigned innocence anywhere.

And so, to save from pile-driving him to the floor to teach him his lesson once and for all, Dib kisses him once more.

Zim happily accepts, like the cat that got the cream.

Learning absolutely nothing.

Except maybe that he really did love Dib, but that was dumb, so he forgets about it. Even as he smiles into the kiss.

Thank the universe for stupid allergies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * * *
> 
> _Check me out for updates and art and stuff! <3 _
> 
> _
>   * _[Twitter](https://twitter.com/DevilOfWire)  
>  _
> 
>   * _[Tumblr](https://devilofwire.tumblr.com/)  
>  _
> 
> _ 

> 
> __
> 
> * * *
> 
> Thanks for reading!! I really am tempted to write a long ZaDr fic, but only after I get some other projects done! We will see~


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